Citizenship and educational attainment amongst the second generation : an analysis of children of immigrants in Finland

Abstract

Citizenship acquisition is often viewed as an indicator of immigrant integration as well as an event that spurs integration further. Relatively little is known about the relationship between citizenship and integration for children of immigrants. This article examines the relationship between citizenship and educational attainment at approximately age 16 in Finland using register data. Results suggest that children of immigrants who are Finnish citizens have better educational outcomes than non-citizens, measured with three indicators of educational attainment. However, the Finnish citizens come from families with higher levels of educational and economic resources than non-citizens and this explains much of the relationship between citizenship and education. After controlling for intervening variables, second-generation students with Finnish citizenship are found to be more likely to choose general rather than vocational upper secondary education compared to their peers who have another citizenship. It is argued that this reflects a difference in educational attitudes between the two groups.